Search

This year brought more insanity in politics, an odd/offensive person as front-runner of the Republican Party, and terrorist attacks by ISIS. We saw the retirement of a legend in news and satire as well as the return of Stephen Colbert. In addition to that Republicans took control of congress for the first time in almost 10 years. A new congressperson became Speaker of the House. All of this is leading up to another presidential election year.

I’ve been remiss to mention Donald Trump in my blog, but there is no denying he is the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president. I still have doubts he will win his party’s nomination. Even if he were to get his party’s nomination he would face a near-impossible climb to the presidency. He has alienated Hispanics, which are crucial to winning any presidential election. He also has offended many other groups of people. There is nothing genuine about Trump. His most recent proposals to ban Muslims and suggesting that they should be registered should disqualify him from the presidency.

The other thing that this year brought was ISIS committing several terrorist attacks across the globe. You can bet that will be a main topic during the presidential election next year. ISIS is not much different than Al Qaeda. If we can defeat Al Qaeda (which seemed insurmountable 14 years ago) we can beat ISIS. In fighting ISIS we must have a strategy outside of militarily. If we decide to block Syrian refugees as some Republicans have suggested, we are showing the world that we are as intolerant as ISIS.

Towards the end of the year Jon Stewart ended his long run with the Daily Show. In an era where people don’t pay attention to the news, Jon Stewart drew people’s attention. He covered what was important and became one of the most trusted sources of news. After he left the Daily Show he helped bring awareness to the 9/11 first responders re-authorization.

One of the biggest changes of the year is that Gay Marriage is now legal in all 50 states. The opinion of gay marriage has also changed among the people in the U.S. A majority now support gay marriage. The fight for gay rights aren’t over, but it took a huge step this year. Gay marriage and gay rights will be a main topic in the election next year.

As with every presidential year, next year will be interesting. The Iowa caucuses will be in the beginning of February. New Hampshire will soon follow. On the Democratic side, I think Hilary Clinton will be the nominee. The Republican side is wide open. Donald Trump could win some primaries, but the nomination fight will likely continue for several months. Marco Rubio could make a race out of it if he wins one of the early primary or caucus state. It will likely be a close election. Stay tuned.